Saturday, September 17, 2011

Hesher (2010)

This is probably the only film ive been waiting for about a good year to finally come to a theater near me. sadly, it didn't and im glad i didn't drive to los angeles to see this. Spencer Susser's debut feature film got a lot of praise at Sundance 2010 for what it seemed like a fresh story and a stellar cast including the ever so lovable joseph gordon-levitt and my favorite natalie portman. what was delivered was nothing more than an headache and irritation.

After the loss of his mother in a car crash, T.J. (Devin Brochu) falls into a state of isolation and teen angst. It is not until a young man named Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who enteres T.J.'s life that he is able to reconcile family issues with his pill-popping father (Rainn Wilson).

This coming-of-age film had a magnificent soundtrack, acting, and cinematography. But what falls short is the direction of the film. It is indeed called Hesher but in no way does the film inform the audience anything about his past or his current state. While Joseph Gordon-Levitt is electrifying to watch, his destructive acts and lewd comments is only entertaining for the first 10 minutes. it is T.J. who has the spotlight and gives a truly compelling performance. His teen angsty ways are empathize as it reminds the 12 year old in all of us of ourselves at that age. Natalie portman goes back to her indie roots and shows us shes just as good with or without her oscar. Although it is Hesher that ultimately pulls the broken family back together through his oddly unorthodox behavior, but his character doesnt hold enough weight that the film be based on him. His menacing ways continue scene after scene and as soon as you think it will stop, it doesnt and the film is nearly over. as heartfelt and captivating the performance and cinematography is, i am glad i did not watch this in theaters. C